Manchester, June 13 (IANS) Ireland captain Gaby Lewis admitted her side failed to capitalise on a promising start against Scotland and called for the team to regroup after a 40-run defeat in their opening match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Manchester on Sunday.

Ireland began brightly with the ball and clawed back momentum at the death after Scotland had threatened to post an even bigger total. However, a middle-order collapse during the chase left Ireland with plenty to reflect on as they slipped to defeat.

Assessing her team’s bowling performance, Lewis pointed to Scotland’s dominance during the middle overs as the decisive factor in the contest.

“I think it was probably that middle period. I think we had a good start, as you said. And yeah, I think that middle period just slipped away. Scotland ran really well, played really well. And yeah, hats off to them,” Lewis said after the match.

The Irish skipper felt her side had done well to restrict Scotland late in the innings, highlighting the final four overs as a positive takeaway despite the loss.

“It’s hard to pinpoint down, I think, at the period, I think at the mid-innings, I think we had a great finish with the ball. I think they were 19 for 2 in the last four overs, which is brilliant. So the momentum was with us early on. Maybe, I guess, Power-play, if we had a better Power-play, it’s hard to put a finger on which phase of the game. But I guess, look, go back to the drawing board and hopefully improve next game,” she added.

Ireland were well placed at stages of the chase before Scotland’s spin attack tightened its grip, triggering a collapse that ultimately proved costly.

Despite the setback, Lewis remained optimistic about her team’s prospects in the remainder of the tournament and urged her players to stay united. “I think it’s a long tournament. Like, we still have four more games. There are still teams that we feel that we can really put up a fight against and hopefully beat. So I think, just to stick, regroup, stick together. And yeah, that’s all I can say,” Lewis stated.

Ireland will now turn their attention to their next group-stage fixture against England, scheduled for Tuesday, as they look to bounce back and keep their campaign on track.

–IANS

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